These Drone-Hunting Eagles Aren't Messing Around

When it comes to defending against pesky drones, the French military has gone to the birds.

These drone-hunting birds of prey are being trained at a French Air Force base in Southwestern France. They're literally born on top of drones, and kept there during early stages of feeding. When they're ready to fly, they're brought to a field to intercept drones. In turn, they're rewarded with meat.

"These eagles can spot the drones several thousand meters (yards) away and neutralize them," Jean-Christophe Zimmerman, a French Air Force general, told Reuters.

The idea is to offer a solution to sneaky smaller drones near military bases, airports and other sensitive sites. (They're not meant to tangle with militarized Predator-style drones.) The eagles are seen as safer than other solutions, like shooting down drones or using nets to capture them.